Star: Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you all have a great day, and for those of you who don't celebrate thanksgiving…have a great day anyway!
Sorry once again for the late update, but you know how life is. Anyway, I am absolutely starving so I'm going to make this short. Have fun reading this chapter!
Disclaimer: Don't own, can't sue
"Speech"
"spoken in Latin"
"phone conversation
'thoughts'
------------Introspection----------
Another two weeks had gone by, and everything was still quiet in Domino. So far, Control hadn't gotten any reports on suspicious activity from Pegasus or his workers. It seemed as if he was laying low for the time being. Which would mean big trouble if it turned out that he knew Alter was tracking him? The four agents knew they needed to be very careful, even though Pegasus was on the other side of the world at the moment. Who knew how many spies and followers he had lurking around Domino's dark alleys?
The drug deal in between Pegasus and the Mexican's was being tracked closely by Control and the U.S.A.B. but so far nothing interesting had happened. The agents that had assimilated themselves into the drug gang reported that the shipment was to take place in another month, when the politicians and drug lords had gathered the seven hundred thousand. However, it was taking too long, and Kit was beginning to become annoyed. He wanted to storm the warehouses where the drugs were being stored, but he knew that it wouldn't lead to anything. If they wanted to know more about Pegasus' plans, they had to be patient.
But with everything that Kit had to deal with in his mission, he was not really capable of being very patient at the moment. Everyday it seemed his patience was wearing thinner, all thanks to the king of jackasses, Yami. Yes, the senior was still being a pain in his ass, and was still pulling off all sorts of shit. Luckily, he seemed to be backing off just a bit. He was now sticking to mostly verbal attacks, rather than physical. Which was good for Kit, because he could ignore Yami's insults. But if he got another bruise from that bastard, Yami would find himself in the hospital quicker than he could blink.
"Hey, Yugi, stop spacing out," came a whisper from his left. Yugi blinked and looked over at Jou who was poking him in the shoulder with a pencil. "The teacher is giving our tests back."
Yugi looked up towards the front of the classroom where indeed the teacher was calling people up to get their tests. He wasn't worried about his grade though. Environmental science was an easy class, and with all the places he'd been to in the world, he knew he would ace the class. "Sorry," he whispered back. "I was just thinking about things."
"Yami?" Jou asked with a small smirk. It seemed that the civilian had been on Yugi's mind a lot, even if the thoughts about him were not the nicest thoughts in the world.
"As if! I'm thinking of what's going on in the U.S. The drug operation is taking too long. According to reports from the U.S.A.B and the M.A.B., they should have already started to smuggle the drugs into the U.S. Why are they taking so long? Something doesn't add up. It's as if they are waiting for something else to start. But what could it be?"
"Well this isn't the place to think of things like that," Jou replied, getting up and walking to the teacher's desk and getting his test. "96," he said proudly. "I missed three questions."
"I probably got the same," Yugi said, tapping his pencil on his desk as he waited for the teacher to call his name. "I know I missed one question." Looking up at the clock, the agent sighed when he saw it was only 8:10. "I wish it was homeroom. I don't want to go to art," he groaned.
"Well, you have to face him sooner or later."
"But why so early in the day?" Yugi complained as he stood up to get his test.
Jou watched his best friend walk away with a smirk. Yes, Yami had definitely been on the agent's mind a lot. Though the other refused to admit it, Jou could tell that under all his anger and frustration was a hint of excitement. It wasn't often that a challenge like this came into their lives. One where they didn't have to worry about if they would be alive at the end. It was, for the most part, harmless pranks meant to simply annoy. In a way, Jou was glad that Yami was pulling all these tricks. It seemed to help Yugi act more like a normal teenage boy, rather than a commanding officer of Alter. That was the bad thing with being in Alter: you never had a real childhood.
Yugi walked back to his desk with a smile on his face. "99," he said, waving the test in Jou's face. "She only took off a half point, since I had most of the information."
"Well, good for you," Jou said with a smile, rolling his eyes. "You're smart. I get it." Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of first period. Jou watched as the smile disappeared from Yugi's face, to be replaced with an annoyed frown. "Oh, come on. It's not that bad. You look like your puppy got thrown in a blender."
"I wouldn't put it past him to do that," Yugi remarked, packing his things then walking out of the classroom, and heading towards the art building.
"I keep telling you to ignore him, but you just have to go and yell back at him," Jou said with a sigh. "You are both as stubborn as little children."
"Don't compare me to him, Pup."
Before Jou could reply, his watch started beeping loudly. The blonde agent blinked and looked at the device, which now had a flashing red screen instead of numbers. "I guess I'll see you later then," the agent said.
"Tell Control I want a report sent to White a.s.a.p.," Yugi ordered. Jou nodded before taking off down the hall, pushing people out of his way so he could get to the exit quickly. 'Great,' Yugi thought as he continued to walk to the art building alone, 'they just had to call him now. I wonder if something happened over in the States. Guess I'll find out later.' Entering his art classroom, he was thankful that Yami hadn't shown up yet. At least he had a few seconds to try to get his temper in check, before that asshole started to piss him off again.
As he was walking over towards his table, he picked up the sounds of girls laughing in the hall. If that sound didn't annoy him enough, he then heard a deep, baritone voice that could only belong to one person. 'Couldn't he leave his fan club in his last class?' However, that didn't matter to Yugi at the moment. He was trying to access the files on Ryou's computer at the J.A.B. through his phone. What could Jou have been called out for? What was so important that he would need to leave school?
"The teacher just walked in, so you better put that away," the boy sitting next to him said quietly.
Yugi looked up and smiled sheepishly at the other. "Thanks, Rex," he said while shutting his phone. Oh well, there was always homeroom. "I didn't even hear her come in." Glancing down at the picture in front of the boy, he couldn't help but stare in wonder. "Wow. Your picture is coming out really well."
"Thanks, but I absolutely hate working with charcoal. I want to go back to colored pencil," Rex replied, brushing his hands of the messy powder. "It was a lot cleaner."
Yugi chuckled as he reached down to his portfolio and pulled out his picture. It was a picture of a few mountains he saw once when he was in India. He was trying to draw the beautiful landscape as best he could, but there was one tree in the corner that refused to come out properly. "I hate trees," he said.
"But the tiger came out amazing!" Rex exclaimed as he stared at a white tiger that was lounging on a rock. "I could never draw that. It looks like it could jump out of the picture."
Yugi smiled at the compliment. He was glad that he could relax for a bit in this class. At least he could sit next to someone nice like Rex, instead of that idiot. Maybe he could have a good class, even without Jou. As long as the bastard stayed on his side of the room, everything would be fine. Shaking his head, Yugi pulled out his charcoal pencils and began to work on the stupid tree, determined to not think of Yami for the rest of the class.
Across the room, Yami was trying to do the same thing. Only he wasn't focused on his art, which was spread out before him. He was staring up at the ceiling with his mp3 player turned up high. Leaning back in his chair, he let out a deep sigh of boredom. Apparently, Jou wasn't here, even though he had shown up for first period. Yami needed to vent to Jou, since Jou usually gave him good advice. And now he needed advice on what to do with Anzu. The girl had just become annoying of late, with her constant calling and emailing. And that was only at home! School was much worse. At school, she would follow him around, and would latch herself to his arm all the time. And now she had started to get mad at him whenever he talked to any other girl.
In the beginning, it was cute how she got jealous. But now it was becoming a serious pain. And a huge embarrassment, especially when she yelled at him in the hall. He was now seriously thinking of breaking up with her. Enough was enough, and he wasn't about to be yelled at again in front of the whole school just because he asked a girl where to find a teacher. There was no relationship from his point of view. Any feelings he had for her were now long gone, and most likely would not come back. But the problem was that, even though the relationship was not going anywhere, it was one of the few stable things in his life. What with all the crap, he had to deal with because of Pegasus and Alter, his relationship with the girl gave him a sense of normalcy. Hence his dilemma. Break up with her and lose the feeling of stability, or stay with her and be miserable?
Just thinking about it was making him agitated. Where was Jou? The only person who would know was Yugi, but Yami wasn't in the mood to talk to him. That would probably only make him madder. Looking across the room, he spotted the boy bending over his work with a frown. He was pointing to a green object and talking to Rex. Apparently, something wasn't going the way Yugi wanted, and that made Yami feel better. At least he knew that not everything was perfect in Yugi's life. 'Honor roll, straight 'A's. It pisses me off. Why is his life so fucking perfect all the time? It's so annoying.'
And another thing that was annoying him was the fact that Rex was sitting next to him, chatting away as if it were normal. Rex was annoying in general, but there was no way he'd talk to Yugi unless he had some ulterior motive. 'What the hell is Pegasus up to?' Yami thought, watching Rex closely. Rex was one of Pegasus' many loyal followers, who would happily jump off a cliff if Pegasus told him to. 'First he makes me steal Yugi's records, now he's getting Rex to act all friendly to him. What more does Pegasus wants to know about him? And why didn't he just ask me?'
The answer was plainly obvious. Because there was no way Yami was going to act nice to Yugi just to get some info for Pegasus. But why Rex of all people? He was a slimy, untrustworthy, annoying little worm. Yami knew this from all the times he'd been around Rex and his annoying friend Weevil. It was probably because Pegasus knew that Rex had a class with Yugi. But if Pegasus was going to this much trouble to keep tabs on someone, then it was obvious that Yugi was no normal person. So who was he really? What was it that made Pegasus so interested in him?
'Maybe there is a secret side to him. Maybe he's not the perfect goody goody after all. Yea, and Anzu's a saint. Pegasus is just being his creepy, perverted self again. There is nothing special about Yugi or the others. Why would they be? They are just normal people.' Yami closed his eyes for a second before opening them and looking at the other two. Yugi was now leaning over Rex's work, coloring something with a brown charcoal pencil. Rex was looking over the boy's shoulder at what he was doing. But Rex suddenly looked up at Yami and smirked, before leaning closer to Yugi.
Yami blinked in shock. What just happened? Did Rex just smirk at him? Why and why? Why would he do something like that? What was the point? 'What is he trying to pull?' Yami thought, even more annoyed because he was confused. 'Was there a reason to that?' Yami glared at Rex as the teen brought his face closer to Yugi's to inspect what Yugi had just finished working on. Just watching the two was making Yami feel sick, but if he looked away, who knew what Rex might do…not that he cared or anything. But he didn't trust Rex at all. It wasn't so much for Yugi safety as it was for his own curiosity that he didn't turn away.
'Who does that creep think he is? Smirking at me. What does he think that's going to accomplish? I'm not going to get jealous just because he's sitting close to Yugi. I'm glad I don't have to sit next to that brat. As if I even care why he's acting so nice to Yugi. Let Pegasus do whatever he wants, it doesn't concern me.' But as he watched Rex say something that made Yugi laugh, he suddenly felt a strange anger towards the Rex. And it was different from the usual anger. He had the strangest urge to go home and tell Pegasus to keep his minions away from what was his. But Yugi wasn't his in anyway, nor did Yami ever want him to be. But the more he watched those two, the angrier he got.
'Great, I'm starting to sound like Anzu! Damn Rex for being such an ass and damn Yugi for letting him sit so close. But why the fuck do I care?! I don't care. Let them do whatever they want. It has nothing to do with me. It's not my problem.' But damnit, he just wanted to go punch Rex for reasons different than the usual ones. He was starting to sound like a jealous lover and he didn't like that at all! Finally he had had enough, and he got up and stormed over towards the others.
"Where's Jou?" Yami asked, interrupting the other's conversation, not that he cared.
Yugi looked up at him with an annoyed glare, before he replied. "He left."
"Is he coming back?"
"No."
"Fine. Tell him I need to talk to him soon," Yami said, glaring fiercely at Rex who just smirked back.
"Whatever," was the only answer he got.
"Yami, go take your bad mood somewhere else," Rex said smugly, and suddenly Yami saw red. If they weren't in school, Rex would have gotten his ass kicked. But all Yami could do for now was glare and plot. And wait for the day that the two of them were alone so no one could accuse Yami of anything. So the teen angrily went back to his seat, where he put his headphones back on and refused to look or even think of the others for the rest of the class. 'I don't care. And I'm not jealous!'
--------
As Jou was driving to the base, he was thinking about what reasons he could have been called out of school for. 'Maybe they found something over in the States,' Jou thought as he stopped at a red light. But whatever it was, it was definitely important. After all, why else would they need to call two of them out? Looking over at the passenger's seat, he watched as Malik tried to connect to the J.A.B. satellite through his laptop.
"This is more Ryou's job," the blonde muttered as he finally connected, quickly pulling up a file titled 'U.S.A.B. Mis.' Scrolling through the sub files, he reached one called 'Mis. 005'. "It says that our spies have discovered a second Mexican base where they are loading trucks with explosives. Looks like Pegasus had another plan besides the drug smuggling."
"What are they going to do with explosives?" Jou asked, getting off the highway and turning right onto a dirt road.
"They haven't figured it out yet, but it looks like Pegasus was using the drug operation as a cover for smuggling weapons out of the country," Malik said as he continued to read.
"So he wanted us to track the drug operation the whole time! And while we were busy taking out the drug ring, he would get away with selling those weapons. And that would have given him more money than by helping to smuggle drugs into America," added Jou.
"But they would have to wait till Pegasus secured deals with the buyers. Which is why they haven't started anything yet. Yugi was right all along."
"I'll call him later when he's at lunch," Jou replied, pulling up to the gate and showing his pass to the guards. After they parked, they quickly headed to the large, white tower behind the big warehouse. Entering the tower, the got in the elevator and headed to the top floor where the J.A.B. Control team was located. When the elevator doors opened they saw Mai waiting for them, and saluted to her.
"Good thing you guys came quickly," she replied after she saluted back. "We're going to have some trouble with this one." Walking down a white hall, she turned left and entered an office room. Five other people were in the room, frantically typing away at computers. Across from the door was a glass pane that spanned the length of the wall. Malik crossed the room and looked down. Below him was a large room with of rows of computer terminals, multiple TV screens on each wall, and hundreds of people running around trying to get as much work done as possible. It was the Main Communications room, M Comm for short. In a way it was like the main control room at N.A.S.A. in the States. From the M Comm the Control team had access to every agent in and out of the battlefield, and satellite signals were decoded and sent directly to the commanding officers on the front line.
"Is it true that Pegasus was using the drug operation as a cover?" Jou asked, leaning over the shoulder of one of the people, and reading the information.
"We believe that is what he was planning," Mai replied. "He was deliberately trying to get us to focus on the drug ring," she said, waving a folder in the air. "All those 'little slips' he made were planned from the start. He probably knew we had spies all along."
"Damnit, he was leading us on," Malik said as he turned away from the pane. "How was it that we didn't catch this earlier?"
"The U.S.A.B., the M.A.B, and Control back on A.I. were focusing on the warehouses containing the drugs. We weren't aware that the other warehouses existed. It was only by chance that our spies were part of the group that was sent to inspect the explosives."
"And our satellites didn't notice people traveling back and forth from both bases?" Jou asked.
"The second base was hidden by signal jammers. Whenever our satellites would pass over that area, the screens would become fuzzy and no sound was heard. We thought it was atmospheric interference," Tsuno said, walking in the room.
"So what are we going to do about this?" Malik asked.
"Mahaado has been notified and he's told us to contact the Control on the U.S.A.B. to tell them to get ready for an attack. We can't afford to wait for Pegasus to make the first move."
"Shouldn't we tell Kit? He'll want to be here when they storm the bases," said Jou as he pulled out his cell.
"No. You two were called because your skills work better on this operation. Pup, you have to direct the Mexican agents in disarming the satellite jammers. Scarab, you have to help the commanders for the American agents make a plan to attack the bases."
"Battle plans are more Kit's specialty," Malik commented.
"But you are better at the covert operations," Mai said. "The spies we have in the drug ring will be joining the American agents, since they know their way around the base. You have to get them to the office rooms were the drug lords are without being spotted by their soldiers. Once the drug lords have been taken out, the rest of the agents will attack the base."
"We'll tell Kit once school is out. If needs be, we'll have him and White brought here sooner. But either way, Mahaado wants us to attack in twenty six hours," Tsuno added.
"Twenty six? I can't come up with a plan in twenty-six hours! I don't even know the layout of the bases yet!" Malik protested. "I barely know what's going on, and you expect me to come up with attack plans?"
"Stop complaining!" Mai yelled. "Kit has to deal with problems like this all the time."
"Well, he is the best agent in Alter for a reason."
"If you think you can't do it, we'll call Kit here. But he won't be happy with having to do your work," Mai warned. "Suck it up and stop being a baby."
"Fine, but I want all the maps you have of the base. I also want to talk to the commanders immediately, so we can start planning. I'll be in my office," Malik said, walking out.
"I'm going to my office too. Connect me to the M.A.B. I want to talk to the leader of the group that's going to disable the jammers," Jou said as he walked out too.
"Are you sure we shouldn't get Kit here?" Tsuno asked Mai.
"Kit can't be bothered with this. He has to find the kids who work for Pegasus and arrest them. That way we can find out what Pegasus is going to do to try to take over the world. All we know now is that it has something to do with nuclear weapons. Besides, he won't want to be bothered with taking out a drug ring. He wants to go after Pegasus."
"You think he can really take down Pegasus?"
"For his sake, I hope he can."
------
Finally it was homeroom, a chance to relax for fifteen minutes before being thrown back into class. But homeroom wasn't relaxing at all for Yami. He was even more stressed out than before, all thanks to one annoying idiot by the name of Rex. That freak had purposely done things to annoy Yami all class. But what was really annoying was that Yami had no idea why he was annoyed. All during class he had tried to focus on his project, but he just couldn't stop looking over at the other two. So in the end he didn't get much done, and he was in an even worse mood.
'Damnit, I hate both of them,' he though as he got up from his desk. Heading out the door he walked down the hall towards his locker. 'Good thing I don't have class with the brat next. I would shoot myself if I had to sit through another class with him.' As he got closer to his locker, he passed another senior homeroom. Glancing in the door he spotted Yugi and Ryou happily chatting away with some people. 'How annoying. That he can just act like nothing's wrong in his life. He smiles and fools everyone.' Of course, that was exactly what Yami always did, but seeing someone else do it was quite aggravating.
Turning the corner he mentally groaned when he saw Anzu heading towards him. 'Fuck, I don't want to deal with her now.' He tried to ignore her, but she stopped right in front of him, glaring at him as if she was trying to be intimidating. "What is it?" he asked.
"We need to talk," she replied coldly.
"Wasn't it you who said we weren't talking anymore earlier when you screamed at me in the hall?" Yami reminded her, pushing past her and walking up to his locker. "Besides, I have nothing to talk to you about."
"Don't take that attitude with me," she snapped.
"And why shouldn't I?" he asked angrily, turning around to face her. "You were the one who started yelling at me for no reason! You were the one who completely embarrassed me in front of the whole school! You were the one who wouldn't listen to me when I tried to explain! So why shouldn't I have an attitude?"
"Will you just shut up and listen to me!" Anzu yelled.
"No, I have to get back to class before the bell," Yami replied, turning back. Suddenly Anzu grabbed his arm and dragged him down the hall, outside, and behind the gym. "Let go, damnit! I'm not going to get in trouble because of you!"
"Shut up! I'm so sick of your attitude! You are always moody and pissed, you never want to hang out or talk to me, and I'm sick of it!"
"Well if you're so sick of it, then stop hanging around me!"
"Well what do you expect me to do? I'm your girlfriend!"
"Lately you've been nothing but a pest!"
"I keep bothering you because I'm worried! If I stopped, you'd just lock yourself in your room and stay there! Why can't you just tell me what's wrong?" she asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Because it's none of your business," he answered, brushing her hand off.
"I want to help you, for crying out loud!"
"I don't need your help. I want to be left alone," Yami replied, leaning on the hood of his car. "Besides, you wouldn't be able to help."
"Maybe I could try," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist. But Yami didn't return the embrace.
'She'd never believe me if I told her about Alter or Pegasus' plans. Even if she did, there's nothing she can do to help me.' "You can't," he told her. "No one can help. I have to deal with this on my own."
"You know all I want is for you to be happy," Anzu responded. "I'm sorry if I keep bothering you, but I just want to know what's wrong. And I'm sorry for yelling at you this morning."
"And…I'm sorry for not spending more time with you," the teen said with a sigh. "I've just been…tied up with things."
"You need to get away from your problems for a bit. Take a break, otherwise you'll kill yourself."
'I don't think I'm the one who will kill myself.' "Fine," he said with a halfhearted smile. "If you're so worried, come to my penthouse tonight and help me forget about my problems." He then wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close, and kissed her.
When they pulled away, she smiled at him. "What time?"
"Seven. And plan to stay the night," he said just as the bell rang.
"Ok then. See you tonight!" she said, giving him one last kiss before running off.
Yami watched her run off, before sighing and lying down on his hood. He didn't want to go to class. He just wanted to go home. Or to his penthouse at the hotel downtown, the one other place besides school where he could be at peace. But then again, school was no longer part of that list, all thanks to once certain transfer. But right now Yami was too tired to think bad thoughts, so he just lay there and stared up at the sky, watching the clouds float slowly by. "Too bad my life can't be so easygoing," he said quietly.
Closing his eyes, he touched his lips softly. There was once a time when a kiss from her could make everything better. There was once a time when the thought of spending time with her made his day exciting. But now it was dull and boring. The spark that attracted him at the beginning had been put out. And now he was stuck. Granted he chose to be stuck. But he really wanted out. He wanted to find someone else, someone who would make his life interesting again. Was he being selfish? Definitely, but didn't he have a right to wish for happiness?
But was it possible? Was there someone out there that was meant for him? Or were soul mates and fairy tale romances just a bunch of lies? Perhaps the reason he was so cynical when it came to love was because he had never truly experienced love. But to him 'happily ever after' just didn't exist. He didn't know about the emotional side to love. All his life he only ever focused on the physical side. But he was tired of it now. He wanted more than just a physical relationship. For the first time in his life, he couldn't give a damn about it. He wanted to experience true love for once in his life. Didn't he have a right to that just like everyone else?
The late bell rang, but Yami didn't get up. He wasn't in the mood to go to class. Besides, it wasn't as if he'd miss anything important. He already knew how to speak English, so why bother going to class? The only good thing was that he could be relax. Well, having Marik bother him all class wasn't really relaxing, but it was better than nothing. 'I'll go back in ten minutes,' he decided. Though it didn't necessarily mean that he would actually go to class. He'd probably go to the roof again. 'Or I can just go home now,' he thought. "As if anyone would get mad at me anyway.' But no, it would be too boring. He'd rather be bored in school with his friends than be bored all alone.
Ten minutes finally passed, and Yami decided that it would be best to go back inside. He didn't feel like being caught by the P.E. teachers. After that soccer game where he and Yugi were fighting, the coach wasn't very happy to see him. So with an annoyed sigh, the teen stood up and headed slowly back into the main building. As he was walking through the halls, he heard a lot of chatter from the chemistry labs. Passing by, he glanced in and saw a senior class performing experiments. To his annoyance though, he saw Yugi in the middle of a group, reading instructions to the group. Great, that was just what he wanted to see. Note sarcasm. Walking away from the labs, he headed to the bathroom. Here he wouldn't be caught, and it was close enough to his classroom that he could just sneak in.
He entered the last stall and just leaned against the wall, behind the door so that no one could see him in the mirror. So there he stood for a while, trying to get his thoughts in order and hoping he could relax a bit before his next class. Luckily he had lunch next, then study hall in homeroom. All in all he had about an hour and a half before last period. Which was good, because he was planning to spend all that time sleeping. On the roof, where no one could bother him.
Suddenly he heard the door open and he tensed, leaning closer to the wall. It was quiet for a moment before he heard someone sigh. "Why are you hiding?" the person asked.
"Because I don't feel like going to class. Why bother?" Yami replied, stepping out of the stall and turning towards Seto.
"So what happened between you and Anzu?" the other teen asked, leaning against the sinks. "I saw her drag you down the hall during homeroom."
"Thanks for stopping her, by the way," Yami replied with a glare. "She wanted to know why I am acting this way. I told her it wasn't her problem, and that I could handle it alone."
"You can't handle it alone," Seto responded. "It's too much for you to handle by yourself. Even I wouldn't be able to deal with it alone."
"Well what do you expect me to do? I can't tell anyone what's happening, because they'd all think I was crazy! No one would believe me anyway, especially if I went around telling people that Pegasus is planning to take over the world. And that there is a secret organization that fights crime out to take him down."
"Why do you get involved then? This fight is between Alter and Pegasus. I don't see why you let yourself get dragged into their battles. If I were you, I would tell Pegasus to fuck off," Seto said, looking at his cousin. "You are too stressed out, and it can't be healthy for you."
"Sad to say, the only excitement I have in my life is helping Pegasus. But I hate it! I don't want to be involved, but I don't have a choice. The only thing I can hope for is that Alter kills him soon," Yami replied with a sigh. "I don't have a problem with fighting, or with stealing, or with anything he asks me to do. I just don't like the fact that I am doing these things to help out his evil schemes."
"But you aren't completely helping him. You are helping Alter too, in a way," Seto said. "Haven't you been sabotaging some of Pegasus' plans?"
"Yes, but I can only do so much. And I can only mess up the smaller operations. And how much good does that do, if every time one of his plans messes up, he already has three other plans as backups?"
"Well, at least you are trying."
"I don't want to try," Yami said, playing with the faucets on one of the sinks. "I just want to live a normal life. But I can't, all because that bastard thinks he's destined to rule the world. You know…I've been thinking about breaking up with Anzu."
"Random, but good for you," Seto said. "It's about time you dumped her."
"But…I don't know if I should. Other than my friends, she is the only other thing I can count on to not change suddenly."
"So what? Dump her already! You know she's adding to all your stress. Besides, she's a snotty, horrible, vain, childish bitch. You don't need her to keep your life together. If anything, getting rid of her will make things easier."
"I know she's not the best person in the world, but then again, no one is. It's not like I'm suddenly going to find a complete angel or anything," Yami said, throwing his hands in the air. "People like that don't exist, and I'm not about to start believing in some stupid Disney version of love where people live happily ever after."
"Well, maybe one day you'll get it."
"Oh, come on. You don't believe in it either."
"True, but that doesn't mean I'm going to just completely give up," Seto replied. "I might not believe in happily ever after, but I do think that every person has at least one person who is right for them. But obviously, Anzu isn't yours."
"That's total bull! I'm not going to spend my life looking for the one person who is 'right for me'."
"So you are going to waste your time in a relationship that is tearing you apart, instead of trying to find the person who makes your life better. Real smart," Seto said, rolling his eyes.
"Well, where do you expect me to look? Am I to just go around calling for them? Even if I did believe that there was someone in this world meant for me, the chance that I would even meet them is extremely slim."
"Maybe you already have met them. How many places have you been to in this world? You might have met that person during a trip. Who knows, they might even go to this school."
"I can tell you right now, there is no one in this school who I would consider my 'soul mate'. The closest I can think of is Anzu."
"Well I can tell you, that Anzu is definitely NOT the one meant for you. And if she is, then something is fucked up in the universe. Because I can't picture you spending your life with her. The thought of you two married and raising kids sickens me. I don't want to be an uncle to those kids," Seto said, pretending to gag.
"Ok, no more talk of kids."
"Fine. But those would be some ugly kids," the teen said with a smirk
"Shut up! Besides, I know I wouldn't last that long with her. Even if I didn't break up with her now, there is no way I'm going to spend the rest of my life with her. And let's say I did find my 'soul mate'. Who's to say that we'd last long? If Pegasus has his way, then the whole world will be too fucked up to have any relationship."
"Yea, but until then don't resign yourself to being with that girl. Anyone deserves better than her."
"Since when do you give pep talks?" Yami asked with a small smile.
"Since I've gotten sick of your self pitying bull."
"Shouldn't you be in class?" Yami asked, rolling his eyes.
"Shouldn't you?" Seto replied.
"I don't feel like it," answered Yami. He turned on the sink and splashed some water on his face. "I just want to go home and try to forget all my problems. At least for now."
"I think you should. No offense, but you look like hell."
"Thanks," Yami replied sarcastically. "But you are right. I haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately. You'd think I'd sleep better now that Pegasus is in America, but nope. Whenever I try to sleep, all I can think of is how fucked up my life is becoming. All because of Pegasus, Alter, and Anzu."
"Weren't you always wishing that something exciting would happen, to keep you from killing yourself out of boredom?" Seto asked, sticking his hand under the still running faucet.
"To give me a reason to wake up in the mornings," Yami replied quietly.
"And how's that working out for you?"
"…I don't know. It feels as if something has changed, but nothing has. Not as far as I can tell. It's like…like there is something right in front of me, but I don't know what it is. I know it's there, but at the same time it's hiding from me. I don't know where it is, or what it is, but I can tell there is something different about my life now."
"Maybe something is." Seto then looked at his watch. "It's almost time for the bell to ring. Are you going to skip lunch and go home?"
Yami reached over and turned off the faucet, before sighing. "I don't know. I don't want to be here anymore, but at the same time I don't want to be alone. Maybe I'll just go to the roof."
"Well if you do stay, try not to have that expression around people," Seto said, commenting on the exhausted, weary look on his cousin's face.
"I'm not really in the mood to smile and be happy," Yami replied with a scowl. "Besides, it's not my job to be the happy one of the group." The bell then rang, signaling the end of classes. The two heard the stampede of students rushing to be first in the lunch line and the teachers yelling at them not to run in the halls. "We better go then. I'm tired of standing here."
"Are you going to the roof then?"
"Yea," Yami replied as he pushed the door open and walked out, Seto behind him. "I might come down later. Oh, and thanks for talking to me. I feel a bit better."
"We're family," Seto replied with a shrug. "Besides, Mokuba kept bugging me to talk to you."
Out of the corner of his eye Yami saw Yugi, Ryou, Bakura and Marik heading towards them. "See ya," he said before climbing up the stairs to the second floor.
"Where is Yami going?" Marik asked as he watched his friend ascend the staircase.
"To the roof," Seto said, walking towards the cafeteria. "He's not having a good day."
"He looked depressed again," commented Bakura. "And stressed out."
"Why would he be depressed?" Ryou asked.
"He's having a hard time right now. He's dealing with a lot of shit from his dad and with Anzu," Seto replied. "We spent all last period in the bathroom talking about it." Lowering his voice to a whisper he added, "He might even dump Anzu."
"Well it's about time!" Marik said. "That girl is no good for him. We've been telling him to dump her for months."
"But will that really help?" Bakura pondered. "He was already getting stressed before things with her went south. Man, I haven't seen him smile in months!"
"He always smiles when he's being a jerk to me," Yugi muttered, causing Ryou to roll his eyes and sigh. "Hey guys," he said loudly, "Ryou and I have to go do some research in the library. We'll meet you later."
"Alright, but come back soon," Bakura said, looking at Ryou.
The young agent lowered his eyes and blushed a little. "Ok, bye," he said before quickly dragging Yugi off.
-------
Ryou was still blushing when they arrived at an empty computer lab, mostly because Yugi wouldn't stop teasing him about it. "Will you shut up already? I don't have any feelings for him, ok!" the agent said, even though his blush got darker.
"Really now? I do believe you are lying, Ryou," Yugi said with a smirk as he headed over to the computer farthest from the door. Turning it on, he glanced up at his friend who was glaring at him and smiled. "Why do you deny it? You blush every time someone mentions him, you can never look him in the eye, and whenever he is around you won't leave his side."
"You are such a liar!"
"I am not. Ask Jou or Malik, and they'll tell you the same thing. Now hurry up and hook up the laptops."
"They are just as mean as you are, and the only reason they would agree would be because they wanted to tease me," Ryou replied, pulling out two laptops from his bag. Pulling out a long, black cord he plugged one end into the computer. He then pulled out two smaller cords and connected the cords to the laptops. Finally, he pulled out a small, black box and hooked the three cords to the box. He then took out a small object that looked like a flash drive. Plugging it into the back of the school computer, he said, "It'll take three minutes before the school computer can translate the satellite feed."
"Scarab sent me a text on my phone that said Mission 005 has been split into two missions now, but that was all he told me. He said that Mai would tell me when we got to the base," Yugi said. "Although it is annoying being kept in the dark about these things."
"But it's not really our mission," Ryou added as he went through a bunch of folders on his laptop. He then pulled up the 'U.S.A.B. Mis.' folder and opening the 'Mis. 005' sub folder. "I don't understand why we are suddenly taking an interest in this 'C' class mission when we have an 'A' class mission here."
"Obviously the status has been raised from a 'C'. Otherwise Malik and Jou wouldn't have been called out. How much longer for the feed to come through?" Yugi asked as he looked over the reports in the folder on his own laptop.
"Another minute. I hate civilian computers. They are so slow," Ryou complained. "There, done," he said as both laptop screens turned a dark blue. A gold diamond appeared on the screens and two white wings spread from the top two bars of the diamond. In the center a large, red capital A appeared, and then a black, lowercase t crossed bars with the A. It was the Alter symbol. Below the symbol, in white letters, J.A.B. faded in and out of view three times before the screen went black. A small, green box appeared and Ryou typed in a password on his computer.
"Pull up the details of the first mission on yours," Yugi ordered as he scrolled through the sub files on his laptop till he reached one called 'Mis. 005-2'. Opening it quickly, he read through the report, his eyes suddenly widening. "Fuck! Pegasus was planning to smuggle explosives out of the country."
"I thought he was only helping the Mexican's smuggle drugs," Ryou said, stunned by the information he was reading. "I can't believe he was using that as a cover to get the weapons out."
"That bastard!" Yugi spat. Just then his phone rang, and he quickly answered it, putting on his earpiece. "Kitsune here."
"So you found out already," Jou said from the other line.
"Why wasn't I informed of this earlier?" Yugi demanded. "And why wasn't I called out as well?"
"Mai and Tsuno said that our skills were needed for this. They said you would be called if things got bad."
"I am the leader of this mission and any mission that deals with Pegasus. I should have been notified immediately of these new events! They cannot take my agents without telling me the reason!" Yugi yelled. "How long am I supposed to be kept from this information?"
"Sir," interrupted Malik. "Mahaado wants both bases taken out in twenty six hours."
"But we barely have any information on the second base with the weapons!" Ryou said as he hooked up his earpiece. "I don't have a proper layout of the base or the surrounding grounds," he said, looking through the images.
"Exactly!" Malik said. "I'm supposed to make a strategy to get our agents into the first base to take out the drug lords, then all the agents are to storm both bases. But I have no idea how the agents are to get to the second base."
"I'm supposed to be helping the M.A.B. take out the signal jammers on the second base." Jou added. "There is a power plant about a hundred miles away, but it's very hard to hack into it. The systems at the plant are very advanced. This type of technology shouldn't be in a normal power plant."
"So you think this plant belongs to the drug lords?" Ryou asked, pulling up the layout of the power plant.
"Probably. Which means I have to be careful incase someone notices the hack."
"Scarab, how many men are going to be sent out?" Yugi asked.
"About three hundred fifty infantry men and fifty jets. One fifty will head towards the drug base, and the rest will be sent to the weapons base. Twenty-five jets each."
"Have them send out an extra hundred for each base."
"Why? Isn't that too many?"
"Knowing Pegasus, he's expecting us to attack. Since we have no satellite feed for about thirty miles surrounding the second base, we can't tell if he has soldiers waiting to ambush our agents. Send out an extra hundred as backup, and twenty more planes. I want the backup soldiers to be split into teams of twenty, and each is to take a section around the perimeter of the base."
"Sir, I don't think the commanders at either the M.A.B. or the U.S.A.B. will be happy with sending out more troops," Jou said.
"I don't care if they are happy with it or not!" Yugi snapped, getting angrier by the minute. "I am in charge of this mission as of now. If they have a problem, they can call me. But I will not be pushed aside, especially when it involves my target and my agents! And if Mai or Tsuno try to object, tell them that I will have them suspended from this mission!"
"Yes, Sir," Jou replied.
"Scarab, I'm sending you the schedules of three of the drug lords." Ryou said, uploading a file of information that he had just hacked from the palm pilots of the drug lord's personal assistants. "It'll be tight, but there is a chance to take them out at 8:30 tomorrow night. It's the only time they will be there at the same time. The other two won't be at the base at all." Ryou then started to send another file to Jou's computer at the J.A.B. "Pup, I'm sending you information on the power plant. There is a room at the plant that is only accessed by the director and his two assistants. The main computer is in this room, and this is where you need to hack. The other systems aren't important."
"Got it. I'm trying to get through to the main file but the M.A.B. agents keep getting lost in the systems. They have a lot of firewalls here."
"Two plant workers aren't there today," Ryou said, reading through the files on the workers of the plant. "If you go through their sector, the safety systems shouldn't be as fast so you can probably break through."
"What would I do without you, White?"
"Get your ass kicked," Ryou replied with a smirk.
For the next twenty minutes the four teammates worked on getting everything ready for the attack. Ryou helped Jou break through the security systems in the plant, and Yugi helped Malik come up with plans to take out the drug lords and the bases. It was noon when Jou finally reached the main computer system at the plant. The other three were silent as they watched Jou and the M.A.B. agents plant a virus into the system. The virus would be set off an hour before the attack started. Hopefully the workers at the plant wouldn't be able to remove it for a while. Otherwise, Control would lose all contact with the soldiers on the ground and in the air.
"So everything Is set now?" Ryou asked.
"Yes," Jou said with a relieved sigh. "Everything should go smoothly unless someone notices the hack beforehand."
"While that chance may be slim," Yugi commented, "we can't take any chances. I want two M.A.B. Control members to watch the systems. Have them plant another virus in another system. That way, if they discover the hack, the second virus will go off and distract them."
Ryou looked at his watch and gasped. "We better pick up," he told Yugi. "Lunch will end in ten minutes."
"Already? Damn, I wanted to look over the security system for the drug base again," complained Yugi.
"Why don't you just call Mai and have her send over someone to pick you up?" Malik suggested.
"No," Yugi replied quickly. "They didn't want me there in the first place. If they think they can handle this on their own, let them. I'm not going to get involved unless Mahaado tells me to. The only reason I'm helping you two is because you are my teammates."
"I feel so lucky," Jou replied with a hint of sarcasm. "You better get going before someone walks in on you."
"We'll see you later tonight then. White, signing off," Ryou said before disconnecting from the J.A.B. satellite.
"Scarab, tell the commanders at the other bases that I'm going to contact them when I get to the base."
"Yes, sir."
"Kitsune, signing off." Yugi disconnected from the satellite, and pulled his earpiece off. "I can't believe those two didn't tell me about this when it happened!" he said angrily.
"They probably thought you'd be too busy with this mission to bother with that one," Ryou responded, turning off all three computers. He gently removed the small drive from the back of the school computer and placed it in a small box inside his schoolbag.
"But they can't take my agents without telling me! I don't care if she is a director of Control, she can't go against my authority over them. And as for Tsuno, he's just lucky he's useful in this mission. Or I would drop him right now." Yugi forcefully shoved his laptop into the bag, and shoved it to the side.
"No need to take it out on the computers," Ryou said with a sigh as he stood up. "Besides, I'm sure Mahaado told him to help Mai. Otherwise he wouldn't have kept it a secret." Ryou slung the bags over his back and headed towards the door, followed by an even angrier Yugi.
"But why did it have to be kept a secret?" the agent argued. "Tsuno, Jou, and Malik are all part of my team. And as their leader, I have a right to know what they hell they are up to and why they have been pulled onto another mission. And it's not just because I'm their leader! As an agent I have a right to know of anything that goes on concerning my target."
"Calm down," Ryou said quietly, looking down the halls. "If you keep yelling a teacher is going to come."
"Fine. But when we get to the base, I'm going to raise hell," Yugi said as he stormed off towards his next class.
Ryou followed slowly, rolling his eyes. Passing by the math labs, he suddenly remembered something. "Oh, damn!"
"What?" Yugi asked, looking back.
"My trig teacher wanted to see me after school today," the agent replied.
"Well tell him you were busy. Honestly, I don't get why these teachers interfere so much with the student's lives." Yugi started to walk off again, shifting the weight from his bag.
"They are supposed to. They have to pretend they care about the students and their well being. So they meddle in the kid's lives."
"It's very annoying. The teachers at the school on A.I. didn't bother with the student's unless it was life threatening."
"It's basically the same in a civilian school," Ryou said, quickly pulling out his phone. Glancing around for teachers, he turned off the volume. He didn't want to get in trouble incase someone from the J.A.B. called. He was definitely expecting a lot of information to be presented to him when they got to the base. By now everyone probably knew Yugi was mad, and no one crossed him when he was mad. "I'll just go quickly to see what he wants, then we can leave. Besides," Ryou continued, lowering his voice, "you said you weren't going to get involved."
"I can't help but get involved," Yugi replied, clenching his right hand into a fist. "I swore I would take that bastard down no matter what. If it means that I have to deal with extra shit, then I'll do it. Anything to see that he fails miserably."
"You can't fight him alone."
"I have to beat him! To avenge all the innocent people who have suffered and died by his hand. To avenge my parents as well. I won't stop till he's dead! I don't care if I die, as long as he dies with me."
"Do you really think your parents would want you putting your life in danger just to avenge them?" Ryou asked softly. His gaze was sad as he looked at his friend. No matter how happy he seemed to everyone else, there was always a veil of sorrow surrounding the young agent. Only those closest to him knew how hard it was sometimes for Yugi to smile.
"If I don't, then I will have failed as an agent…and as a son," Yugi responded just as the bell rang. He then entered the crowd and walked away.
-------
Last period flew by for some people, and dragged on forever for others. The two agents kept glancing at the clock in the gym, willing it to speed up. The sooner the bell rang, the sooner they could get to the base and see how things had progressed. The last thing they wanted to do was play kickball in P.E. with a bunch of civilians. But it seemed the more they wished for time to speed up, the longer each round took. It was very annoying, to say the least.
Of course, they weren't the only ones who wanted last period to end quickly. Yami sat on the bleachers, lazily watching members of his team run the bases. He was in no mood to play, and refused to get up when it was his turn. He heard Bakura mumble something nasty about him as he had to get up to kick again, but Yami didn't care. He just wanted the day to be over so he could head to his penthouse. There he could finally relax and just wait for Anzu. But after the talk with Seto, he wasn't in the mood to entertain her. He wasn't even in the mood to be around her, yet here she was, clinging onto his arm as if daring anyone to even look at him. He was pretty sure his arm was numb by now. "Anzu," he called.
"Yes, darling?" she replied, batting her eyelashes at him.
God, he hated that damn word. Darling. She always used it, that or 'dear'. It sickened him to hear it come out of her mouth. Every time she said it, he felt a wave of nausea pass over him. Plus, it was embarrassing as hell to be called 'darling' in public. Because whenever she said it, people would stare at them. As if he wasn't stared at enough already. "Can you loosen your grip on my arm a little?" he asked, his voice dripping with false sweetness and a fake smile to go with it.
"Of course, darling!" Anzu said quickly, loosening her grip a little, but still tight enough to keep him from escaping. She then looked down at the game, so she missed the look of disgust that passed his face. "Looks like the other team is winning," she commented. "Probably because Yugi and Ryou keep kicking."
"Ugh, don't mention that brat's name," Yami muttered.
"Do you really hate him?" Anzu asked. "He seems nice to everyone. He even helped me in English."
"He's an annoying little punk that doesn't know his place. He gets on my nerves every time I see him, and he intentionally pisses me off." Of course, Yami didn't mention that he did the exact same thing.
"Wow, I didn't know he was so bad. He looks like such a nice kid."
Yami rolled his eyes, then focused on the game. His team had a player on first and third base, with two outs The kicker already had a foul and was about to take another shot. Looking over towards first base, Yami saw Yugi tense up in preparation of catching the ball. He really, REALLY hated to admit it, but Yugi was a good player. He didn't drop the balls like other people, and he could jump pretty high. And he was also a pretty fast runner. It was no wonder that he was placed on first base. He could take out the players quickly.
"YAMI!" The teen was jerked out of his thoughts when the voice of the coach reached his ears. "Get down here now! You will not just sit there all class!"
Muttering insults under his breath, Yami slowly stood up and headed over to the home plate. Glancing quickly at Yugi, he noticed the other teen was tensing up again. 'I don't even feel like bugging him now. I'm too bored.' So when the ball came, he kicked it hard towards left outfield. Luckily no one caught it, and he ran all three bases. Ignoring the dirty look Yugi was sending him, he climbed back up the bleachers and sat back down. All in all, he wasted five minutes doing that.
Satisfied with his performance, the coach told everyone to pick up and head to the locker room. Some students went to get changed while others sat down by their school bags, deciding to change at home. Yugi and Ryou rushed to get changed, while Yami and the others stayed seated. The bell rang a few seconds later, and all the students stood up and raced to the exits, pushing each other out the way as they tried to leave as quickly as possible. Everyone but Yami, who strolled out calmly. He headed towards his locker to grab his books, but decided to take his time. He preferred the school when it was quiet, and twenty minutes after the bell the school was pretty much deserted. The constant noise from the other students was very annoying to him.
He was on the third floor of the main building heading towards his locker when he heard a soft sound coming from somewhere. Thinking it was just some teachers or a club meeting, he ignored it and continued to shove his books in his bag. But there was something about the noise that didn't sound like voices. It was too soft for that, too melodic. 'Is someone in the music room?' he wondered. 'Oh well, not like it matters.' So the teen closed his locker and was about to head back down, when the sound became a little louder. 'That's a piano. Who could be playing the piano after school?'
But once again, it didn't matter. It had nothing to do with him, so why should he bother? But as the music continued to play, he found it harder and harder to ignore it and walk away. It felt to him like the music was calling him, inviting him to find the source. And he had to admit, whoever was playing was pretty talented. Not a single wrong note, the music flowed perfectly and sounded so soft. It was soothing and comforting. Though…there was hint of sadness behind the beautiful notes. Yami could almost feel the sorrow of the player fill him. The more he listened the more he felt drawn towards the harmonious music.
So he turned around and headed back upstairs, following the music as it echoed through the silent halls. Yami never knew that Mozart could sound so nice. And usually he wasn't a fan of classical music. 'I didn't know anyone could play the Moonlight Sonata at this school. Other than Seto and I.' So he continued to follow the ghostly music through the school towards the music room. He half expected no one to be there, and for the music to fade away softly into nothingness. 'Seven wonders of the school. Fuck, I'm not going to believe in some stupid superstition made by dimwits.' However, he couldn't deny there was something hauntingly beautiful about the piece.
'It's probably the teacher,' he thought as he approached the music room quietly. But he never knew the teacher could play so well. The music stopped suddenly and Yami was afraid he'd been found out, when it began again. Taking a deep breath, the teen peeked around the door frame and looked for the lone piano player. To his complete surprise he saw Yugi sitting at the grand piano by the window, bathed in sunlight. He watched in awe as the other expertly moved his fingers across the keys, drawing out the soft, haunting sounds that he had heard throughout the building. He couldn't take his eyes off the other's serene expression, and the soft but sad smile that graced the other's lips.
The piece came to an end, and the notes hung gently in the air before fading gently. It was silent for a minute as Yugi ran his fingers lightly over the keys. "It's not nice to spy on people."
Yami blinked in surprise before entering the room. "Why are you in here?"
"Ryou had to talk to a teacher. Why are you sneaking around?"
"I was wondering who was playing."
"Had I known anyone was still here I wouldn't have played," Yugi replied, taking his hands off of the keys.
"Why not?" Yami asked, walking closer till he was standing in front of the piano.
"I don't like it when people hear me playing," the agent answered simply.
"It's not bad," Yami said, surprising himself with the compliment he just gave.
Yugi just scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm sure you're thinking something nasty right now."
Yami blinked again and scowled. "Why don't you just take the compliment?"
"Forgive me if after more than a month of you acting like a jerk to me I find it hard to believe that you can say anything nice to me," Yugi snapped back.
It was silent for a while after that, the silence broken occasionally by a random key being struck. Neither knew what to say to break the silence. Both were too tired to start fighting with each other, but they didn't know how to act around each other in a way that didn't involve anger. It seemed strange that they could be in such close proximity and not argue. But as the minutes ticked by, the tension seemed to disappear little by little. The two started to relax a bit as they let their minds wander. Never mind that they were five feet apart. With his left hand, Yugi started to slowly play the beginning to another Mozart piece.
Yami listened as the notes were struck, hearing the whole piece in his head. 'Fuer Elise,' he thought. Without thinking, he sat down on the bench on Yugi's right. The agent blinked and stopped playing, shocked that Yami had just sat down next to him. Quickly placing his hands on the keys, Yami started playing the piece from the beginning. Thinking back to all his years of practice, the movements became more fluid as he went on. His fingers moved gracefully across the black and white keys, producing a beautiful sound.
Yugi sat there and watched the other play. Half surprised that the other had willingly sat so close to him, and half amazed at the other's skills. He hadn't known that the other was so talented at the piano. Then again, Yugi didn't know much about Yami seeing as how the two were always at each other's throats. 'It sounds amazing,' the agent thought, unable to take his eyes away from the other boy. He had never seen such a soft expression on the other's face. 'He's very good. Though he still probably can't top Ryou.'
Yami reached the end, and let his fingers linger on the keys for a second as the notes faded away. "Who taught you?" he asked suddenly, looking not at Yugi but at the sheet music on the piano.
"My mother," Yugi replied quietly. "She loved the piano, and would teach me an hour each day. I used to hate it…but now…I would give anything to see her playing again."
Yami looked at the other teen and saw the sorrow and longing in his eyes. It was amazing how vulnerable he suddenly looked. Usually he was smiling and laughing, or, when around Yami, angry and yelling. But this sadness was new, and Yami didn't really like it. It reminded him too much of how he acted when thinking of his own parents. "What happened?" he asked softly. He wasn't going to push for an answer; he knew how annoying it was when people asked him that question.
"My dad…was killed when a group of thieves broke into our house," Yugi started, twisting the truth a little, "I was six at the time. He told my mom to take me and run away while he stayed to fight them off. We barely made it out of the house, but I already knew my dad was dead. My mom quickly drove to my grandpa's house where she dropped me off. Then she went back to our house. I never saw her again." What he didn't mention was that the men were assassins hired by Pegasus himself, and that just after the men broke into their house, he saw Pegasus standing across the street watching them.
"…I'm sorry," was all Yami could say. He had no idea that Yugi had been through that. He practically witnessed his parent's deaths. Yami only heard about it from his parent's friends the next day. 'How can he act so happy all the time?'
"It's ok," Yugi replied, looking down at the keys. "It was a long time ago."
"My parents died a while ago too," Yami said, half wondering why he had just offered that piece of information. "I was five and was sleeping at my friends house. My parents had gone to a…business meeting that night, but the building caught on fire. No one survived."
"Some life we've lived, huh?" Yugi said with a smile. Yami chuckled softly at the remark. "Amazing that we've come out of it relatively sane."
"Well, I don't know about you, but I think I lost my mind a while ago. At least that is what I'm told daily by the others."
Yugi giggled lightly. "We're all slightly insane on some level, I guess."
"Being insane really isn't that bad. You have an excuse for acting like an idiot."
"True, but use that excuse too much and it doesn't work anymore."
"When that time comes, just make up a new excuse." Yami replied, tapping on random keys.
"Guess so. Hey, here's a stupid question."
"What?"
"Are we actually having a conversation? You and me?"
Yami blinked and was silent for a second. "I guess…we are. I didn't even realize it." 'Strange how it's so easy to talk to him,' he thought. 'I don't feel like I have to hide anything.'
Just then Yugi's phone started to ring. Pulling it out of his pocket, he flipped the lid and then sighed. "I have to go." He stood up from the bench, and grabbed his bag which was by his feet. He headed towards the door, but stopped and turned around. "You know what I've realized? You aren't as big of a jerk as I thought."
"Is that a compliment?" Yami asked in surprise.
"Just take it," Yugi replied with a smile, before walking out.
-----------TBC----------
Star: Yay! Chapter done! I must admit, this one had me a bit stumped. Especially the end. But just because they were talking nicely in this one doesn't mean that they are suddenly friends/lovers. That comes much later. But hey, any progress is good progress, right? Anyway, I hope you all liked the chapter! Hope to see you again at the next one! (which will hopefully be soon)